The Light of the Night
by VivaJayne
Summary: "Turn your back, pray to be free, Fear La Lumiere de la Nuit." When Natsu and Lucy stumble upon a ransacked old house, they can't fathom the depths of the trouble they've gotten themselves into. Rated M for language and adult themes. NaLu pairing because hey, who doesn't love those two? Original characters and plot
1. Chapter 1

**IMPORTANT NOTE BEFORE READING: This story takes place after Edolas but before the S Class Exam. I've written another Fairy Tail FanFic, it's called "I'll Be There" and it's a GaLe fic. That one goes hand in hand with this one, so Levy and Gajeel are a couple in this story. I think that's all you need to bear in mind… the rest of the story will tell itself!**

The Light of the Night

_When darkness creeps into your sight,_

_Your vision robbed of all its light,_

_Legend speaks of mortal girls,_

_One of dull and darkened curls,_

_One of flooded holy light,_

_Stolen futures tall and bright,_

_Do not trust all that you see,_

_Know La Lumiére de la Nuit._

The sun was high in the sky when Lucy stretched her arms above her head to shake off the sleep. It had been nice, having a few weeks to relax after the whole Edolas business. Her brain was tired and moving slowly; a good week of sleep had done her wonders. But now Lucy was ready to take on the world again- if she didn't she'd surely be kicked out of her apartment.

She swung her legs lazily over the side of the bed. The floor was cold beneath her feet; it sent a shiver from the base of her spine to the top of her head. Hurrying so she wouldn't be in the cold for long, Lucy snatched up some clothes from the apartment floor and prepared her daily shower.

It never took her long to make herself presentable. Once she had, she hooked her little leather pouch of keys to her belt and slipped quietly out the front door. She had briefly contemplated taking the window to avoid the frightening possibility of running into her landlady, but decided if she showed her fear it may make her vulnerable. She shuddered at the thought of the bitter old woman's wrath.

Outside the weather was perfect in Magnolia- mostly sun with a slight aftertaste of rain. Lucy smiled and set off at a leisurely pace towards the guild. Turning the corner onto one of the busier market streets, she lost herself in the buzzing city. It was difficult to imagine even small crimes occurring in a place like this; the vast majority of the people were so friendly and welcoming.

"Hey Lucy!" She turned and saw the waitress at her favorite café waving to her from the entrance of the restaurant. Lucy grinned and waved back, making a note to return there soon with Natsu. He had bothered her so often to go there that when she finally gave in and loved it, he insisted on being with her every time she went. She smiled to herself. Natsu had become one of her closest friends during her time with Fairy Tail; she almost couldn't remember a time before he was there.

Then suddenly he _was _there.

Lucy collided with a solid wall of chest with enough force to send her spiralling to the ground in a heap of frustrated confusion.

"Hey!" She exclaimed, dusting herself off. Her body ached with the pain of free-falling onto a stone surface. She was sure she had scratched and bruised herself in multiple places, "Watch where you're going!" She grumbled, her good mood evaporating swiftly. "Just who do you think you-?"

"Lucy!"

She stopped. Lucy opened her eyes and looked up slowly, blinking in the bright sunlight. About two inches from her nose she found a pair of twinkling dark eyes, pale pink hair, and white pointed teeth, all adding up to a grinning Natsu, devilish joy etched into his features.

"Jeez Natsu," She groaned, rolling her head back in exasperation. "Watch where you're going would you? You could've killed me!"

Natsu ignored her, his grin solidly in place. "Have I got a job for us!" He exclaimed happily.

"A job?" Lucy repeated, her fall completely forgotten at the prospect of rent money. Her interest was suddenly peaked. "What kind of a job?"

"Just trust me! You'll love it!" Natsu reached down and grabbed her wrist, pulling her to her feet roughly. Lucy stumbled, her balance put off by the sudden change in position.

"See, every time you say that we end up on some ridiculous mission that almost gets us killed, or majorly embarrassed." She criticised. Natsu simply winked at her knowingly and, with a gulp from Lucy, started at a brisk run.

"Natsu- Wait-!" Lucy yelped, her legs flying out from under her as Natsu dragged her along behind him. "You know I can't keep up with you like this!"

Natsu laughed.

.

"I don't see why we couldn't take the train," Lucy groaned, her feet aching. She seriously contemplated bringing out Horologium to carry her, but decided better of it. It was just her, Natsu, and Happy (he'd joined them on the outskirts of town) so she felt it would be unfair to them if she just disappeared inside a clock because she didn't want to walk anymore. If Natsu was being carried by Happy, however, it'd be a much different story.

"Because of my motion sickness," Natsu replied happily, strutting ahead. Lucy shook her head at him. He wasn't even _beginning _to sweat, and she was close on wheezing. How could he be so content on foot?

"So where exactly are we going?" She asked again, not expecting an answer. Natsu had been very vague with his descriptions of the job, giving her next to no details. She didn't like that. So she'd been relying on her eyes to give her an idea of what this mission entailed. Taking in her surroundings had not been the most effective of plans though; first they'd passed through a forest, one she didn't recognize, and now were in a field with no town in sight.

"Seriously Natsu, where are we going?"

"The old Madison place!" Natsu answered at once, saying it as though it should have been obvious to her.

"The old Madison place?" She repeated, tilting her head to the side. "I've never heard of it. Why couldn't you have just told me that?"

"We didn't think you'd want to come," Natsu mused, glancing back at her mischievously. Lucy didn't like what usually followed that look, and she almost stopped herself from asking her next question.

Almost.

"Why wouldn't I want to come?" She asked cautiously. "It's just some old house right?"

"It's supposed to be… haunted!" Happy cooed, jumping suddenly to wave his paws in Lucy's face menacingly. She sucked in her breath. Definitely shouldn't have asked.

"H-Haunted?" She stammered. Her heart rate was rising exponentially. "Like… by ghosts?"

Happy nodded gravely, floating along beside her head. "The super scary kind," He elaborated, moving his paws in wild gestures that Lucy guessed were supposed to be frightening.

"Why do people say it's haunted?" She whispered. The field around them seemed to have fallen silent, echoing the beating of her own heart in her ears. Lucy's insides were churning with nerves, slowing her steps to a crawl.

"The locals hear noises," Happy explained, demonstrating a loud bumping sound that made Lucy jump. "And every once in a while, they call in a group of wizards to check it out… and they never come back!"

"N-Never?" Lucy's eyes were wide. There was a slight tremor in her voice that caused Natsu to glance back at her again, but she didn't notice.

"Not even once! They say the house is haunted by the ghost of old man Madison," Happy continued, lowering his voice to a whisper. "They say when he was alive he used to experiment on wizards like us…"

"…Experiment?" Lucy's throat was tight. She had trouble getting the words out. Her hand crept up to her heart, clenched in a tight fist to hide her shaking.

"Horrible, bloodthirsty experiments…" Happy suddenly jolted forward, ducking behind a rock that was coming up on their right. Peeking out over the top of it at Lucy, he continued "His favorite to experiment on was celestial wizards."

"Really?" Lucy gulped. She didn't realise it but she'd stopped moving, frozen in place with fear. Happy nodded.

"He would tie them up, cut them open, and eat their insides raw!" He exclaimed, "Just to see how they tasted with fish!"

Lucy let out a small squeal, missing the last comment about the fish that would've tipped her off to the exaggeration of Happy's story. Ahead of her, Natsu stopped walking and turned to face them.

"Happy, cut it out," He scolded. Lucy looked to him in surprise. He was looking at her with a comforting smile. "Madison was a theoretical magic user. He didn't go out in the field much; he just liked the history behind magic. His specialty was celestial spirits. When he passed, his house was preserved. Some of the locals heard noises from there the past few nights, so they wanted someone to check it out."

Lucy blinked at him. Happy had joined the two of them glumly, his ears drooping in disappointment. Natsu reached a hand out to Lucy, taking hers with a friendly squeeze. "Come on Luce; let's go kick some bad guy ass!"

Lucy smiled, returning his grip on her hand and starting at a light jog with him up the path.

It didn't take long for them to reach the Madison House. When Lucy saw it, she was slightly shocked. It was a quaint stone cottage on top of a hill, with miniature trees standing in a wide circle around the structure. It had a dusty look, but that was the only feature betraying its age. Not what she'd expect of a monumental residence.

"It's cute," Lucy commented in surprise. "It doesn't look like anyone's been here for years."

"Well then job done," Natsu smiled, stretching his arms above his head. She heard a pop as his shoulders rolled, shifting under the fabric of his open vest.

"No way," She crossed her arms, jutting her hips to one side. "We've come this far, we're going in there." She gestured to the house a few feet away from them. "This job was your idea, and you're not bailing now."

"What happened to being scared?" One of Natsu's eyes opened, his gaze shifting lazily to her. Her cheeks flushed.

"That was Happy's fault!" Lucy shrieked, gesturing wildly to the little blue cat. He grinned at her maliciously. "Now you dragged me on this job and we're going to finish it!"

"Ok, ok," Natsu sighed, shaking out his body after his stretch. "Let's do this quickly and get home. I'm hungry!"

They approached the door slowly, not wanting to alert any possible burglars of their presence. Happy hung back, munching on a fish he'd brought with him for snacks. Lucy had rolled her eyes, but didn't argue with him.

The door was wooden, rotten, and dusty. It looked like it was untouched, but that didn't rule out the possibility of someone breaking in another way. Lucy pressed her ear to the door, listening intently for any signs of life.

"I don't hear anything," She stated after a few seconds of silence. "Maybe we should wait a bit longer. Stake it out."

"Or we could bust in and ambush them!" Natsu suggested, firing up his fists. The fire spread to his eyes, and it was easy to see the energy radiating off him in waves. Lucy jumped on the idea quickly to squash it.

"Ambush what? We don't know if anyone's in there!" Lucy's voice was exasperated. Natsu looked discouraged, but extinguished his flames and considered her words very briefly.

"True, but if we burst in and no one's there we can just go home!"

"Really, that's your logic?" She groaned. "Ok, I say we go in through the window. That way we have less of a chance of tipping someone off that we've been here. We scope it out, see if anything's off about the place, and if not we bail. If so we go from there. Sound good to you?"

Natsu's shoulders slumped, but he nodded. Standing there in that defeated stance reminded Lucy of a child hearing his idea isn't plausible. She couldn't help but smile.

The window was opened, indicating to Lucy that maybe someone _had _been here recently; why would an old abandoned house like this have an open window? Storing the oddity in the back of her mind, Lucy fell to the aged floor with a soft thump, Natsu beside her.

The room they were in now was small, but organized. It looked like a kitchen with places for a stove and fridge on either end of what seemed to be a sink. The place had a coating of dust about an inch thick, and mold had begun to grow in some places. It didn't seem to be very well preserved, Lucy thought to herself.

She and Natsu began to move from room to room then, giving each a quick once over. Nothing of Madison's house stood out as strange or special; Lucy began to question the legitimacy of Natsu's information. There was a single bedroom, a bathroom, the kitchen they were in previously, and a small living room.

"It doesn't seem like anyone's been snooping…" Lucy trailed, examining the faded pattern on the old couch. "The only footprints around are ours. Maybe it was an animal or something?"

"Wouldn't they leave footprints too?" Natsu argued, coming up behind Lucy to look at the couch. He looked puzzled, like he was trying to figure out the significance of the piece of furniture. Lucy giggled to herself, deciding to leave him wondering.

The living room was dotted with pictures of sunsets and beaches, animals and faceless people. Lucy looked at each one in turn, deciding they were nothing of significance- just a random batch of pictures. She moved onto her next thought train.

"Oh yeah, I guess they would…" She said, answering Natsu's previous question. Her gaze fell to the battered rug beneath their feet. Suddenly an idea popped into her head. "Hey Natsu help me lift this." She gestured to the floor, gripping two of the corners. Natsu caught on to her plan, gripping the other corners and lifting the rug onto the couch. A cloud of dust and debris surrounded them, causing Lucy to cough viciously. When the dirt settled, she began to feel around the wooden floor. It didn't seem out of the ordinary.

"Hmm, I guess I was wrong…" She bit her lip. It was tempting to leave the house now and call it a day, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was missing something. Finally, she sighed and stood.

"Maybe there really is nothing here," Lucy admitted, hanging her head. "I don't know what these people were hearing, but it's nothing I can see here."

Natsu raised his eyebrows. "You're done already? We haven't even checked the basement!"

Lucy balked. "…Base…ment?"

Natsu placed his hand on one of the paintings on the wall, pressing in. The wall shook violently and then collapsed to reveal a spiral stone staircase littered with leaves and spider webs. Lucy's jaw dropped.

"YOU KNEW ABOUT THIS THE WHOLE TIME?!" Natsu scratched his head, chuckling sheepishly.

The basement was dark and dank, leaving a bad taste in Lucy's mouth from the heavy air. Her footsteps resonated loudly off the bare walls, hurting even her own ears. They didn't have to descend far to reach the bottom of the stairs, thankfully, but it plunged them into almost complete darkness.

Lucy felt around for something to center her, allow her to position herself. The walls were made of slick stone, cold beneath her palm. She shuddered and exhaled sharply, sure that if there were light she'd be able to see her breath.

All of a sudden the room burst to life around her, a warm glow bouncing off the various objects in the room. Natsu stood behind her, his hand illuminated in a flickering flame. He stepped closer to her, holding the warmth between them comfortably. Lucy smiled at him gratefully, her shoulders relaxed in the absence of cold.

"What the…" Natsu trailed, glancing around the room in confusion. Lucy followed his gaze, taking in the mess of their surroundings. Unlike the rest of the house, the basement was cluttered and utterly unorganized. There were only a desk and bookshelf in the small round room, but books were thrown about the floor precariously. Some were large and bound in leather, others small and bound in paper. Each book was unique in size and shape it seemed, even the odd round book popped up every few feet.

"What in the world?" Lucy gasped, bending to pick up one of the mistreated books. Its pages were dry and cracked, something expected of old books. The letters were still crisp and dark, easily legible.

"Looks like someone was busy," Natsu quirked an eyebrow, kicking a pile of books near his foot. Lucy gave him a hard look. "Well other than the fact that Madison wasn't as big of a neat freak as I thought, this was a bust. Let's go get the money and bail."

"Hold on," Lucy held up a hand. Natsu sighed, his features collapsing in impatience. Lucy ignored him, her attention on one of the books. There was something off about it, something that didn't sit with her. She chewed her lip in concentration whilst trying to tune out Natsu's exaggerated sighs. She fingered one of the pages thoughtfully and as she did, something clicked.

"Wait a minute!" She exclaimed, jumping to her feet. Natsu stumbled, taken aback by her outburst. "These books! They weren't left here by Madison!"

Natsu blinked at her.

"The pages," Lucy explained, brandishing the book towards him excitedly. "They're crisp and clean, the words are really easy to read. If it had been left open like this the whole time, the pages would be damp and almost illegible." She could see the wheels turning in Natsu's head; his black eyes were focused and unwavering, the way they were when he was lost in thought. "Someone's been in here Natsu, I'm sure of it."

Natsu straightened, glancing over his shoulder at the mess around them with a new perspective. "If that's true then they were probably looking for something."

"You're probably right. The question is: did they find it?" There was one book left on the shelf untouched, and Lucy zoned in on it now. It didn't look any different from the other books, perhaps a bit newer but nothing extraordinary. It struck her as odd that the people who ransacked this place would leave one lonely book on the shelf untouched. She was drawn to it, reaching for the leather bound pages.

"It's a long shot," She muttered to herself, recognizing the title as a semi-recent history of a town north of Magnolia, "But it could be something…" She plucked the book off the shelf lightly, easing the cover open with a resounding pop.

She felt the magic before she saw it, flinging the book away from her just as it exploded into a bright white cascade of ash.

The room shook with the force of the blow, the shelf toppling and bits of stone falling to the floor around her. Lucy heard Natsu yell as she dove to the floor, covering her head with her arms. The part of the wall where the book made impact was now gone, a gaping jaw of a hole left in its place. The hole went about two feet into the surrounding soil.

For a while all Lucy could see was smoke, dust, and the occasional piece of rubble clouding the air. She coughed into her arm, trying desperately to get a decent breath. Finally the air began to settle, giving her a visual on Natsu just inches from her.

"Are you ok?" She choked, clearing the dirt from her throat. Natsu shook his head angrily, leaping to his feet.

"Alright come on!" He roared, his fists flaring. "Come out you bastard! A rigged lacrima is the most cowardly trick in the book!"

Lucy glanced to where she'd thrown the book and, sure enough, there were tiny shards of crystal embedded amongst the rocks.

"Come out and fight face to face!" Natsu was still yelling; his feet were spread and his knees bent, his fists and jaw clenched for action. Lucy propped herself up on her elbows, waiting for someone to answer Natsu's challenge. No one did.

"I don't think anyone's here," She offered, pushing herself to her feet. "Whoever set that lacrima is long gone by now."

"Damn," Natsu muttered, extinguishing his flames once again. He took a second to collect himself, pursing his lips in thought.

Silence filled the room, leaving Lucy to her thoughts. She looked at the lacrima pieces, the hole in the wall, and the horribly mangled remains of the basement. "What on earth was this guy looking for?" She wondered aloud, more to herself than to Natsu.

"I don't know," He answered anyway, turning to her with a determined grin, "But I'm going to find out."

**And there's chapter one! Comments, questions, concerns? Drop me a review! I read each and every one carefully :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 is here! Have a read :) **

_A child's tears brings a smile,_

_Lured by deceitful boyish wiles,_

_Know the whip, the curdled screams,_

_Fight to keep from hopeful dreams,_

_A seed of rage is planted there,_

_To grow in gritted silence fair,_

_Tormented heart holds the key,_

_To La Lumiére de la Nuit._

Lucy was silent during the trip back to the guild. The events at the Madison house had stirred her thoughts, igniting her curiosity. Who had destroyed the basement hideaway? What were they looking for? Did they find it? Why did they feel the need to harm anyone trying to track them down? All of these questions burned in her mind as she kept pace with Natsu's quick steps; left, right, left, right.

When she and Natsu emerged from the wreckage, they found Happy asleep on a nearby rock. He was very surprised to learn of the action he'd missed, and didn't seem overly concerned with the fact they'd almost been blown away. Lucy and Natsu had yelled at him. After a quick search yielding no results, the group had headed back towards town.

In her daze, Lucy failed to notice that Natsu had slowed suddenly and turned into the guild. She took a few extra steps and almost collided with another building, but an exclamation from Levy caught her attention.

"Lucy!" She called, poking her head out into the street. "You wanna come in here? Natsu is babbling about an explosion and no one can make heads or tails of it…" Levy smiled encouragingly, holding her hand out to Lucy. Lucy blinked, pausing for a moment before returning the smile and taking Levy's hand.

The inside of the guild hall was less lively than normal. Many of the seats were empty, giving Lucy the impression that many people were out on jobs. She looked for Erza, Gray, or Wendy, but none were to be found. She turned to Levy, voicing her observations.

"Well yeah," Levy chuckled, scratching the back of her head. "Most everyone's out right now. Erza took Wendy on a delivery job, and Gray is with Juvia I think. Whether he knows it or not is another thing…"

Lucy laughed. "Good point. Ok, so what's this about Natsu?"

"He's over there," Levy pointed. Next to the bar Natsu was gesturing wildly, flames coming out of his mouth while he spoke. A few of the members had gathered to listen, many with confused expressions on their faces. Lucy rolled her eyes. It wasn't hard to tell he was exaggerating what had happened to them. She joined the group.

"-And then a tower of flame came shooting out of the wall! It was insanity!" Natsu finished, falling back onto a table. Mira was smiling, but everyone else was staring doubtfully. Happy was standing on the table beside Natsu, adding to the performance with sound effects. Lucy's eyebrow twitched.

"It wasn't a tower of flame," She sighed, to Natsu's deflation, "It was a lacrima. Rigged to explode when anyone tried to open the book it was in. Here, I saved a piece:" Lucy reached into her pocket and removed a shimmering piece of white crystal. Before she and Natsu had dug their way out of the house she'd swiped it and a piece of the book it was in. Now she showed it to the circle of wizards giving Natsu the stink eye.

"It doesn't look like any rigged lacrima I've ever seen before…" Mira commented, leaning in for a closer inspection. "Levy, what do you think?"

Levy placed her reading glasses carefully on her nose. "I don't recognize the make of it… but I could do some research for you! I'll get back to you in the morning if that's ok."

Lucy was about to agree that it was fine, but Gajeel had lightly pushed Levy aside, holding the lacrima piece to his nose. "I know what this is," he grinned, looking confident. "We used to use them in Phantom. Regular trap lacrimas are meant for kid pranks, these have been amped to release more power." Gajeel dropped the piece back into Lucy's hand. "They pack quite a punch eh? Gihi." He chuckled, earning a small frown from Levy.

"But where did it come from?" Lucy said, ignoring Gajeel's last comment. "That's what we need to figure out. Whoever did this is up to something, and it may be something small but I have a sneaking suspicion it's exactly the opposite."

"Well you said you found it in a book right?" Levy prompted, tucking her reading glasses into her pocket. "Can you remember what kind of book it was? The title, even? Anything at all could give us something to go on."

Lucy thought for a moment. "I remember it was a history book," She said, positive of the image in her brain. "The history of a town, I believe. But I can't remember the name… I think it started with an F? Fernland or… or something."

"I thought it was Fornun," Natsu sulked, still disappointed that his story was interrupted and debunked. "Or Furmberg."

"And it was brown. With little blue dots," Lucy chewed her lip. "And I think the words were black."

Levy laughed. "Well that's something anyway. I'll see what I can dig up. In the meantime you two should get some rest, you look awful."

Lucy glanced down at herself. She was indeed covered in dirt, soot, and scratches. She laughed at herself, waving to Levy. "You're right," She shrugged, heading towards the door. "I'm going to go shower and get some sleep. Meet back here in the morning?"

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Levy answered, stepping back towards a table where Jet and Droy were in the middle of a rousing game of cards. Gajeel followed her, standing behind like a body guard while she seated herself and set to work with a quill. Lucy smiled.

.

Her bed looked welcoming when Lucy finally emerged from the bathroom, donning her pajamas and a bathrobe, but sleep would have to wait a little while longer. She felt bad leaving all the grunt work to Levy, so Lucy settled at her desk with a large book she'd found in the storeroom at the guild before heading home. It was a collection of works by Henry T. Madison.

Lucy didn't know exactly what she was looking for, just something that might help. The pages of the book were old and yellowing, so much so that it was difficult to make out the text. From what she could tell, the introduction was a brief summary of the author. After inspecting it carefully she dismissed it as unimportant.

The next page was a blurb on Madison's hometown. She skimmed it, but nothing stood out to her. After that the first chapter was about Madison's childhood and growing up in a single parent household. Lucy read each word three times over, looking for some name or place she recognized. So far, it was futile.

"What had he stumbled upon?" She wondered aloud, her mind wandering from the page before her. It was easy to imagine this man harbouring some grand secret, mainly because she knew almost nothing about him. Everything she read was vague and unspecific, and his house had been so plain it hadn't given her a decent image. The man was illusive, a mystery, like smoke. Lucy shuddered, the temperature in the room dropping ever so slightly.

The quiet was getting to her, so she delved into the book once again. It was comforting, immersing herself in the old pages. An hour had passed; she was two chapters in with nothing to show for it when she heard a slight knock behind her.

Lucy turned slowly, her nerves getting the better of her. Ghost or no ghost, the quiet in her apartment was chilling. She thought back to the way Happy had been talking, telling her of experiments and torture. She knew the little cat had made the whole thing up, but that didn't mean the story hadn't stuck with her.

"It's just my imagination," She told herself firmly, closing her eyes against the darkness outside her window.

"What is?"

Lucy screamed in terror. She lurched back in her chair, scrambling away from the voice next to her ear. The book fell from her fingers and landed with a sizable thud on the floor by her feet.

"Geez, calm down Lucy," Natsu shrugged, stooping to pick up the abandoned book. "What's gotten into you?"

Natsu. Lucy's heart was thumping wildly in her chest. Slowly her skin began to cool against the wall behind her, but her anger was suddenly boiling.

"What the hell Natsu?!" She demanded, clutching her heart with her hand. "You almost killed me! What are you even doing here?"

Natsu plopped down on her bed, folding his legs beneath him. Lucy watched as he made himself at home, fluffing a pillow behind his back and leaning lazily against the wall. "I was bored," He explained, opening the Madison book in his lap. "Happy was asleep; I thought you might be awake."

"Well I was about to go to sleep," Lucy grumbled, straightening her chair and clothing. Her pulse was back to normal, finally, and the goose bumps on her skin had faded. "Haven't you ever heard of knocking?"

"I did knock," Natsu looked at her, insult on his face. "I knocked on your window to open it."

"That's not what I meant!" Lucy snapped. Natsu grinned apologetically, flipping the pages of the old book before him. Lucy's shoulders fell in defeat. There was no point in arguing with Natsu, not even on a good day, which this was not.

"What is this thing?" Natsu asked finally, turning the book on its side, presumably to examine a picture at a different angle. He squinted, bringing the book closer to his nose. Lucy rolled her eyes.

"It's a collection of Madison's research," She explained, folding her legs under her on the bed next to Natsu. "I was reading it to get an idea of what we're dealing with."

"And did you?" He turned his head to look at her.

"No, nothing really." Lucy sighed. She reached over and turned back a few pages to show Natsu an image she was looking at before he'd arrived and scared her. "This is the closest I got to a lead. It's a picture of Madison's basement library before it was abandoned." She pointed to the shelf they'd been before just this morning. "I was thinking we could use it to identify the book, but the picture is too blurry and if it was planted today it wouldn't be in this picture anyway, so that was a bust."

Natsu blinked at the picture a few times. He seemed to be thinking about something, but Lucy couldn't begin to guess what it was. Eventually he smiled at her.

"You'll figure it out," He chuckled, planting the book in her lap. "And while you do, I'll be getting some much needed shut-eye."

Lucy smiled, shoving him lightly. "Not in my bed you won't. On the floor, Salamander."

Natsu laughed, winked at her, and then slipped to the rug with a cushion beneath his head. Lucy rolled her eyes again, settling against the wall the way Natsu had been and began to read.

.

The next day was cold and wet, typical weather far north of Magnolia. Lucy had a headache from listening to the drops of rain on the roof combined with Natsu's incessant groaning.

They had hopped a wagon back at the guild and were on their way to a little town not many had visited but most knew. It was called Fernhold.

"_Fernhold?" Lucy repeated dubiously. "Well, we were close."_

_Levy giggled at Lucy's embarrassment. She had several books in front of her on the table and a stack of paper with detailed notes organized in delicate handwriting. _

"_It's a small town," Levy continued, scanning her notes, "But really well known because of their publishing company. All major works pass through their hands at one point or another. Look:" Levy plucked a random book from the table in front of her and flipped it, pointing to the insignia at the bottom of the back cover. Lucy observed an embellished FH stamped there._

"_Publishing company huh… I guess that's a good place to start when looking for a book." Lucy shrugged._

"_That's what I thought," Levy nodded. "But the funny thing is I didn't go to Fernhold to find the book, the book brought me to Fernhold."_

"_Try that again?" Lucy raised an eyebrow in confusion. Levy folded her arms, very much resembling a teacher about to give a lecture._

"_When you told me what the book looked like, and what you thought the name sounded like, I sifted through my library for anything that matched. At first I didn't find anything," She explained, pointing to a few of the other books she'd seemingly tried. "I couldn't find one town history book that matched your description. But then," Levy raised her finger, pointing it accusingly at Lucy. "I started to think like you. Well, more specifically, you when you're panicked."_

"_And what's that supposed to mean?" Lucy crossed her arms, pouting. Levy laughed._

"_Our minds work differently when we're afraid," Levy assured her, "Things you think are really important, glaring details are actually really small ones. So I looked through my library again from a different perspective and found…" She reached behind her, producing a relatively thick, hardcover book. "This! The title isn't in black letters, like you said, but the editor's name is. And so is the fine print. And the book cover is a yellow color, not brown, but in the dark it definitely could've looked it." Levy smiled, handing the book to Lucy to inspect. "As for the blue dots… well the best I can guess is there was an ink splatter stain."_

"_Levy," Lucy exclaimed, excited, "This is it! This is the book! I'm sure of it!" She placed the book down, hugging her friend fiercely. "You're incredible!"_

"_I know, I know," Levy bowed, "But don't thank me yet. Fernhold is a ways away; I wouldn't travel there on foot. Trains don't run there because of the size, so you're left with a wagon."_

_Lucy heard Natsu groan beside her. She laughed._

"_Does Fernhold have any link to Madison?" Lucy asked, her curiosity piqued._

"_None that I've found," Levy responded. "Well, nothing abnormal anyway. All of his books have passed through there, but so has everybody's. But it's not a total loss!" She added quickly, seeing the crestfallen look on Lucy's face. "I didn't find anything connecting Madison to Fernhold, but I decided to do some more research on the town itself. Only… I couldn't get a hold of anyone."_

"_No one?" Natsu leaned forward, brushing his shoulder against Lucy's. She didn't notice._

_Levy shook her head. "Not one person. Droy has family there, so I tried contacting them next, but the same thing happened. As it turns out, no one's heard anything from Fernhold for a few weeks now."_

"_That's so strange… And no one's reported it? No one's gone to check it out?" Lucy found it hard to believe an entire town could disappear without anyone noticing._

"_From what I can tell, people are accrediting it to a bad growing season; trying to save resources and all." Levy shrugged. "Seems like a weak excuse to me, but you know how some people are."_

"_Well," Natsu exclaimed, slamming his fist into his open palm, "Looks like we're taking a trip up north!"_

"Why are we doing this?" Natsu moaned, clutching his stomach in agony. "I feel like I'm going to throw up last week's lunch."

"Keep it away from me," Lucy shrieked, jerking her knees away from him. Natsu let his eyes drift closed, focusing on the feel of wind on his face.

"Happy was right to stay home, I should listen to him more often."

Lucy sighed and leaned forward to see the road ahead. If she was right, Fernhold shouldn't be much farther from where they were.

Suddenly she felt the wagon lean to the right, earning an undignified grunt from Natsu. Lucy rolled her eyes, looking to see what the wagon was swerving to avoid. The rain was heavier now, and it was making the scenery grey and dark, but she was able to make out a grey figure in the road to her left.

"Hey," Lucy called to the driver of their wagon, "Can you stop for a second please?"

The wagon lurched forward as it came to a stop. Natsu looked relieved, trying to collect himself before attempting to stand. Lucy leaned her head over the edge of the wagon again, the rain pelting her newly unprotected head. The cloth roof collected pools of water at its edges, dumping them in loud splashes on all corners of the wagon.

"Hello?" Lucy yelled, trying to be heard over the sound of the rain. The grey figure was slowly taking the shape of an elderly woman, hobbling in the direction they had just come from. Lucy tried desperately to see her face under the hood of her thick wool cloak, but with the weather and the receding daylight, it was nearly impossible.

"Excuse me!" Lucy tried again, reaching out to the old woman. She had shuffled to the side of the wagon now, close enough for Lucy to touch. She stretched her hand out, placing it gently on the old woman's shoulder so as not to startle her. "Please, I'd just like to offer-"

"WITCH!" The woman screeched, her voice shrill and crackling. All at once she shot her arm up and grasped Lucy's wrist in a vice grip, throwing the young girl away from her. Lucy jumped back, bumping into Natsu. "DEVIL WOMAN!"

"What's wrong?!" Lucy panicked, scrambling to calm the old woman. "There's been some misunderstanding, we want to help!"

The woman's frail body was shaking violently, visible even in the relentless rain. Lucy wanted to reach out to her again, but feared she'd throw another fit. The woman looked up at Lucy then, wrinkled mouth open in a small 'o'. Lucy gasped.

Her eyes. Her eyes were white. She was blind.

"Oh my god…" Lucy whimpered, pity washing over her in waves. "I'm so sorry," She apologized. The woman spat, her spittle landing in a phlegmy blob in the mud. She began to mutter words in a language Lucy didn't understand before turning and continuing her walk.

Lucy watched, shocked, until the woman was out of sight, descended the hill behind them. "I must've scared her…" She trailed, sinking to the floor of the wagon. Natsu, now recovered, hopped to the wet ground and held out a hand to her.

"It wasn't your fault," He assured her, "You were just trying to help."

"I should've been more careful," She insisted.

Natsu was silent. He continued to hold his hand out to her. "Come on," He coaxed. "Let's walk the rest of the way on foot."

Lucy nodded, taking his hand and joining him on the road. The rain helped sober her, bringing her focus back to the task at hand.

Still, the woman settled into a distant corner of her brain, preparing for an extended stay.

It was clear now, to Lucy, why Natsu had wanted to walk. When she looked, she could see the rising walls of Fernhold on the top of a low sloping hill. It looked dark, still, and quiet… like an abandoned town.

Lucy instinctively gripped Natsu's sleeve as they approached, the town and the woman setting her on edge. Natsu didn't seem to notice; he was relieved they would soon be at their destination and able to find food and rest.

"I hope they have decent eats here," He said aloud, his stomach growling audibly. "I'm sick of bread and fish."

Lucy ignored him, taking in the looming exterior and tall gates. The town was surrounded by a forest, thick with all types of trees but no animals. The muddy road was the only way to access Fernhold, and that was making Lucy feel very trapped.

They were getting close enough to hear and smell the daily lives of the villagers, but only the smell of rain filled her nose.

"Let's just worry about finding somewhere safe to sleep," Lucy suggested, glancing around at the surrounding trees. They looked black in the cloud cover.

Her step had quickened, although she wouldn't have noticed it if Natsu hadn't come to an abrupt halt. She felt her arm jerked back, jarring her to a stop. Lucy's bangs fell into her eyes, momentarily blinding her.

"Hey what's the big-?" She demanded, forgetting her unease. But Natsu wasn't looking at her. He was staring straight ahead at the gates.

"What in the hell…?" He trailed, his eyes shifting over the large wooden doors before them. Lucy turned her attention to them as well, her eyes widening.

The wood was tarnished with rough scratches and violent streaks of what appeared to be red paint. Strange symbols colored the walls, staring them down like a serious warning. As Lucy took in the horrendous sight, she dropped Natsu's arm.

The haphazard scrawl slowly turned into crooked words before her eyes, written as though a small child had gotten a hold of a paintbrush built for larger hands. The letters were large and shaky, formed with the uncertainty of fingers not yet accustomed to the bend and curve of the words. Lucy took a small step forwards, straining to read through the rain.

"What does that mean?" She asked, unable to tear her eyes away from the vandalism to look to Natsu for answers; if she had, she'd have seen his uncertainty. Natsu didn't answer her; he stood there, unable to move in his shock. He read the words over and over, grasping for some meaning but coming up empty handed.

"_La Lumiére de la Nuit," _Lucy read, the words foreign on her tongue. "_Fear La Lumiére de la Nuit."_

**Leave a review if it so pleases you :) I love to hear what you guys have to say!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3! Getting a bit darker this chapter; let me know what you think!**

_Hate in hiding furious fuel,_

_To overthrow a tyrant's rule._

_Into the darkness shadows slip,_

_Sun falling to Night's cold nip._

_There they lie in wait of time,_

_For when the bell will loudly chime._

_Announcing a new era to set free,_

_Of La Lumiére de la Nuit._

Lucy's mouth was dry. Her tongue felt swollen beneath her lips. The words scrawled across the entrance to Fernhold had branded her mind with a mystery she had to solve. The rain filled the silence around them, pummeling the ground with brutal force. She swallowed.

Natsu stepped in front of her then, reaching out to knock on the crippled wood. His fist made a dull thud in the growing dark; it was not enough to wake even the lightest of sleepers. He pounded harder, poorly rewarded for his efforts.

"We'll have to go in," Lucy whispered, knowing Natsu could hear her. He glanced back at her, held her stunned gaze for a few seconds, and nodded. Lucy watched as he shouldered the gate, applying just enough pressure to ease it open.

She expected alarms. She expected a shout. She expected _something_. Even as Lucy took Natsu's hand and slipped between the sodden wood planks she held out hope. The town left her disappointed.

It was darker inside the town than it was on the road. Lucy's eyes took a moment to adjust before she was able to thoroughly examine her surroundings. The shock hadn't quite left her heart, and maybe that was putting her on edge, but when she saw the state of the buildings around them she gasped.

The same graffiti defaced the walls of every home in sight; even the shops were decorated with the gruesome messages. Copies of the symbols outside were placed haphazardly on walls next to new symbols and words in a variety of languages. 'Fear' was a recurring word.

Lucy jumped as her back collided with a solid surface. She reached out, realising she'd backed up into the now closed gate. The wet wood felt cold through the fabric of her cloak and brought a violent chill to her spine. She gripped the edges of the fabric tightly, pulling the garment securely around her shaking body. She couldn't see a single person in the darkened streets; not even footprints found themselves in the newborn mud.

"Hello?" Natsu yelled. He'd wandered a few feet further than Lucy; he was only a few paces from what looked like a butcher shop. He peered through the window, rapping loudly on the glass. Each piercing knock made Lucy flinch. "Anyone around?"

No one answered his call after several seconds. Lucy's heart was pounding so forcefully it drowned out the rain.

"I don't think anyone is here," Natsu sighed finally. "It's weird though; I can smell people everywhere."

Lucy didn't answer. She hadn't said a word since they'd entered Fernhold. Natsu turned to her, giving her a curiously soft look. Her features were fragile, delicate, like a light breeze would put her off balance. Natsu's eyebrows pulled together in concern. He mustered a comforting smile and shone it to her, speaking warmly.

"Come on, there has to be somewhere close that's dry. We'll regroup and start figuring this out." He jerked his chin over his shoulder towards the center of town. Lucy blinked, breaking her trance, and nodded. She took a shaky step away from the gate and listened as the mud parted to admit her shoe with a loud squelch.

She walked a step or two behind Natsu, keeping her mouth firmly closed. Her lips had begun to stick together and it was irritating her, but not enough to fix it. All around her the houses of people she didn't know stood seemingly abandoned and sadly empty. The building style was similar to that found in Magnolia, but the wood lacked warmth and the stone was rough with wear.

There was a loud crack beneath Lucy's toe. She looked to see a shard of glass shattered beneath her foot. Glancing at the house next to her, she saw the source of the piece. The windows were smashed on the first floor, and cracked on the second. She kicked the glass out of the way and picked up the pace.

Natsu stopped every few feet to sniff the air. In the rain, Lucy knew, his nose didn't work quite as well, but it was still an effective tool. Occasionally he would change directions suddenly, jolting her.

"Hey, over here," Natsu said suddenly. Lucy lifted her head, peering over Natsu's shoulder. In front of them stood a large building made of solid stone and wooden planks. It was different than the rest; it gave off an air of professionalism. Lucy pushed her wet hair out of her eyes, squinting to read the words etched into the small sign over the metal door.

_Printing Press_

"This must be the factory," Lucy whispered, her voice sounding hoarse. "Levy said they produced most of the books in Fiore."

"It looks sturdier than these other places," Natsu observed, testing the doorknob in his hand. It resisted, but turned to admit them. "It'll probably be dry in there."

"It's worth a shot," Lucy agreed, examining the factory more closely. It was also covered in symbols and phrases, layered so thickly it altered the perceived color of the walls. Lucy cast her eyes to the ground, blocking them from her view. She needed to pull herself together so she could try and decipher these messages.

Inside, the building was dark. The air around them was heavy with it, clouding Lucy's vision. She reached out instinctively, feeling for something to grasp. Despite the darkness the atmosphere was warmer than in the streets, and for that she was relieved. She began to shrug off her cloak.

"Maybe we can find some food in here," She suggested, turning to where she thought Natsu would be. "Light a flame and I'll see if I can track down some lanterns-"

She was startled by Natsu's hand on her shoulder; she recognized the abnormal warmth of his skin. In the dark, she couldn't tell what he was doing, but she knew he was close. The skin on the back of her neck prickled, indicating her was merely inches behind her.

"Shh," He whispered in her ear. Lucy held her breath. She could hear him sniffing in all directions, his breathing slow and calm.

"What's going on?" She asked softly, leaning backwards in his general direction. Natsu's silence was making her nervous.

"I don't think we're the only ones-" Natsu began to say, but he was cut off by a loud crash to their right. All at once the room burst into an orange light emanating from Natsu's fists. His fire illuminated their surroundings so quickly Lucy had to close her eyes. Suddenly the sound of shuffling feet filled the room around them, followed by the clattering of items on hard ground. Lucy opened her eyes and looked around wildly, taking in the room as quickly as she could.

There were people everywhere.

From what she could tell, the entire town of Fernhold had crammed themselves into this small space. Groups of individuals huddled in corners and under work benches, twisting wildly in confusion. Lucy looked to their right where a small child had knocked over a pile of tools causing the crash they'd heard. The people, dressed in rags and blankets, looked panicked and distressed, but otherwise harmless. Natsu lowered his hands, dimming the flame ever so slightly.

"The townspeople," Lucy whispered, shocked. "What are they doing here?"

Natsu seemed to be wondering the same thing. He cocked an eyebrow sharply, giving him an older appearance. Lucy watched as he cupped his hands to his mouth.

"Hey, is there someone in charge around here?" He yelled. The villagers continued to shuffle uncomfortably, no one venturing an answer. Lucy waited for someone to stand up, or say something, anything, but only tense quiet met them. If Lucy listened closely, she could hear the whimpers and sobs of small children. Her stomach clenched.

"We're not here to hurt anyone," She assured them, examining the scared faces in front of her. "Please, we just have some questions."

She waited a moment longer, only to be rewarded with continued silence. Lucy's shoulders dropped; she turned to Natsu, who had kept quiet after his initial greeting.

"I'll speak with you," The voice was soft, so soft they almost missed it. Lucy turned to see a young woman, no older than her, in a grubby grey dress and a moth eaten shawl. She had a thin wisp of brown hair covering her face; the rest of her hair was pulled into a tight ponytail. The woman held out a hand towards Lucy, waiting patiently for her to take it. "My name is Amel."

"Thank you," Lucy smiled, taking her hand graciously. Amel held her hand for a moment, concentrating, until she smiled warmly. "I'm Lucy, and this is Natsu. Do you have any lanterns here? We can light them for you." She nodded to Natsu's flaming fists, shrugging her shoulders in amusement. The woman tilted her head to the left ever so slightly, biting her bottom lip.

"I wouldn't be able to tell you," She admitted sadly. Lucy was about to ask why when then woman lifted her head, her hair falling away from her eyes like the slow opening of a curtain. "I haven't needed a lantern in some time."

Lucy held back a gasp. Amel's face was pale and her skin muddled with dirt and sweat. Her lips were thin and papery, and her nose small and delicate. However, Lucy had to take a small step back when she saw her eyes. They were burned.

Where Amel's eyes should have been there were two thick, ugly, pink scars. The edges were seared and scabbed, with dried blood still collected there. The wounds looked old enough to no longer be painful, but young enough that they hadn't fully healed. Amel was completely and unnaturally blind.

"It's ok everyone," Amel assured the rest of the townspeople. "They're not here to hurt us."

Lucy watched as everyone in the room visibly relaxed, lifting their hoods, blankets, and hair. Her eyes grew wide with horror as more and more people revealed their own scarred faces, eventually leaving no one with their vision.

The whole town had been blinded.

Lucy released a small scream.

Natsu, who'd been quiet up until now, stared in disbelief at the group of people. Not a single one was free of the wretched scars marring their faces. There was even a cluster of small children with similar scars that hadn't healed as well as the older villagers'. Natsu's muscles tensed; he stood paralysed before the crowd.

"No one here has needed lanterns for weeks," Amel explained sadly, gesturing around her. She still had, Lucy noticed now, the unsure movements of someone not yet used to being without sight. "We've all been living here to help each other cope."

"What happened?" Lucy whispered, the shock evident in her shaking voice, "What did this?"

Amel's chin dropped. She squeezed her hands together tightly, twisting her fingers around each other.

"We don't know," She admitted, a catch in her voice. "I'll explain more in private. Can you lead me somewhere with no people?"

Lucy nodded, and then realised with a pang of guilt that Amel couldn't see her. She cleared her throat. "Of course, here, take my hand." Lucy brushed her fingers lightly against Amel's, prompting her to grab on. Amel smiled weakly, securing Lucy's hand in hers.

Natsu had snapped out of his shock and was now leading the way for Lucy and Amel. He directed them around a corner and down a hallway, eventually ducking into a small office. Lucy carefully helped Amel into the room, closing the door behind them. She then rooted around in desk drawers and closets until she found what she was looking for: a lantern.

Natsu lit the lantern and placed it on the desk in front of him. The office looked to be that of a CEO or Director, someone of importance. Everything was in perfect order, not a pencil out of place. Lucy looked for a name on something, but she couldn't find anything. Amel had felt her way to the only chair in the room and seated herself facing the heat of the lantern. Lucy waited for her to take the lead in the conversation.

"It happened a few weeks ago," Amel sighed, shifting in her chair. "I can't tell you exactly what day it was. I was outside with my little sister, we were gardening. The ground is really fertile around here."

The lantern crackled.

"Anyway, the day started out normal. We don't get many visitors out here so it's usually pretty quiet. On this day though, we did get someone come to town. I don't know who, just that they had family in the area they were looking for; the guard at the gate did a quick run around the town asking for information," She explained.

"Who was the family they were looking for?" Lucy coaxed.

Amel scoffed bitterly. "They said they were looking for Kale. I just laughed at the guard, told him to send them away because they obviously weren't from around here if they were asking for _him_."

"Kale?" Natsu repeated. "Who's that?"

"An old legend," Amel continued. "He was a crime lord back in the day, supposedly. There was an older man, I heard, who called himself Kalem and was supposed to be this guy's descendent or something, but he left town a few years before my time."

"So, if that's the case," Lucy pursed her lips. "Why would someone be looking for a legendary criminal?"

"Beats me," Amel shrugged. "The guard thanked me for my time and went on, never heard from him or the visitors again."

Amel paused to let the information sink in. Lucy chose not to say anything, organizing the events in her mind and searching for any relevant details. She didn't come up with anything significant, but she kept her thoughts filed away. After a few seconds, Amel picked up again.

"A few hours later is when the screaming started," Her voice had grown soft, her head down in remembrance. "It came from the center of town first. I told my sister to go back into the house, to stay there while I checked things out. Then I headed here.

"When I arrived there was madness. I couldn't make heads or tails of what was going on. People were running around and screaming, banging into each other and everything else. There were others who'd fallen to the ground and were sobbing. I didn't know what to do, so I just started to run.

"The next thing I remember I was on the ground in front of the factory. I tried to open my eyes but I couldn't, and then there was this flash and pain flooded my whole body. I know now that only my eyes were being hurt, but I felt it everywhere, right down to my toes." Amel paused to shudder. "I remember screaming for my sister, for someone to go get her and keep her safe, but everyone ignored me. They were dealing with their own pain, of course, but I didn't know that then."

Lucy swallowed; her throat was dry and pained. Her body had gone cold, but she was too afraid to move and warm herself. Her shoulders felt awkward and stiff.

"I don't really know what happened while I was screaming," Amel admitted. "I know I blacked out, but I don't know for how long. Someone had pulled me into the factory and given me a blanket before they'd been blinded themselves."

"So you weren't all blinded at once?" Lucy asked, her voice sounding odd even to her.

"No, we weren't. I think it all happened in the same day, but I'm not sure."

"Did you…" Lucy began, glancing at Natsu. He held her gaze, a small frown etched into his mouth. "Did you ever find your sister?"

"No," Amel said bluntly. "Rumours have spread through the factory that some people were killed by the blinding. It was too much for them."

"I'm sorry," Lucy whispered.

"Thanks," Amel smiled sadly. "I'm dealing with it. For now I've been busy trying to keep the rest of us alive."

"How exactly have you been doing that?" Lucy asked, genuinely curious. Amel shrugged.

"We've been getting by. A lot of people managed to get back to their houses and get some food. Even more people brought back blankets. We divided them as best we could, but I'm sure there're some people we missed. We've been trying to keep track of everyone by their voices, but it's not an easy thing to get used to."

"It's amazing you've all gotten this far." Natsu admitted, rubbing the back of his head slowly. His pink locks bounced across the tops of his fingers, kissing his knuckles.

"We've had some help." Amel insisted. "One of the town elders has been blind since she was a girl, so she knows how to get by on her own. She took control here at the factory."

"She did?" Lucy asked, hope sparking in her stomach. "Where is she? Can we speak with her?"

Amel shook her head. "She left a few hours ago; she said she was going to find a town somewhere and get help. I've been pretty worried about her honestly… she'd not exactly all there."

Lucy's thoughts flashed to the woman they'd passed on the road to Fernhold. Her instincts began to flash wildly; she knew that'd been the elder.

"What's her name?" Natsu asked. His posture hadn't changed; Lucy assumed he hadn't yet made the connection.

"Rosaline," Amel smiled a little. "She's my great aunt on my father's side. My sister and I lived with her."

"Ok," Lucy clapped her hands together, the sound making Amel and Natsu jump. "We'll go find Rosaline and make sure help gets back here, I promise." She reached out slowly to grasp Amel's hand, holding it comfortingly in hers. "Before we go is there anything we can do? Do you need anything?"

Amel tilted her head up, "Bringing help back to us is all I can ask and more. Thank you, Lucy."

"I just have one last question," Natsu added quickly. Lucy raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing.

"Go ahead," Amel nodded. "Anything to help."

"Who put all this graffiti on the buildings?" He looked up in thought. "It's a bit too gothic for decoration, and way too much for just some kids writing on the walls. Has it always been there or is it new?"

Amel cocked her head to the side. "Writing?" She repeated. "What writing?"

.

Natsu and Lucy made sure that Amel found her way back to the main room of the factory before returning to the gate to find their wagon. They had planned to stay the night, but Lucy felt they needn't use up any of Fernhold's resources if they didn't have to. Natsu agreed wholeheartedly so they moved on.

They found the wagon and driver about a five minute walk from the front gate to the town. He'd just settled in for the night and seemed grumpy about being woken, but agreed to take them back early. Lucy pulled the tarp open from the back of the wagon and crawled in, shivering with the dampness.

"What on earth would cause something like that?" Lucy whispered, more to herself than to Natsu who'd hoisted himself up into the wagon just after her. He fell back against the cold wood floor, linking his hands behind his head and closing his eyes.

"I guess that's what we need to find out," He answered lazily. Lucy tucked her knees into her chest, her stomach still tight from the events of the day. Natsu opened one of his eyes, assessing Lucy. She was looking down, not at him, her mouth in a thin line and her eyes drooping sadly. He bit his lip. Natsu knew this was affecting Lucy badly, that she felt personally responsible for all the people in Fernhold. If he left her to her own devices, she'd beat herself up over it for years to come.

"Hey," He whispered. Lucy looked up, seeing Natsu holding a hand out to her like he'd done so many times before. She took it, relishing in the familiarity of his touch. Natsu pulled on her hand lightly and she followed, lying beside him on the floor of the wagon.

"We're going to help those people," He insisted, shooting her a grin she'd come to know and love. "Promise."

Lucy smiled at him. Natsu felt his spirits lift with hers. Lucy, he decided, was his responsibility, and he'd make sure she'd never despair over this town again.

The wagon lurched forward then, the driver finally prepared and leaving. Natsu's face fell immediately, the sickness evident in his eyes. Lucy giggled softly, curling herself into Natsu's warmth with her arm draped over his chest. Natsu groaned, falling into the nausea that came with every trip on wheels.

**Tada! Leave a review if it so suits you!**


	4. Chapter 4

****EDITED****

**Chapter Four! Alright, my NaLu shipper heart has been resisting up until now, but it can't hold back any longer. So prepare for some (hopefully) well-placed and appropriate fluff!**

It was still dark when the rickety wagon stopped at the doors of the guild hall. Lucy was the first to wake, stretching her arms high above her head and shivering with pleasure at the satisfying crack her shoulders made. Natsu was beside her, a green tinge to his normally pale complexion. She rolled her eyes. The man was iron-willed, but his stomach failed him. She lifted herself and flexed, preparing for an uphill battle when getting Natsu's limp body to move.

"Thanks," Lucy called to the driver; he'd seen her struggling and hopped down to help, although he grumbled all the while. Natsu slumped to the ground with an agonized moan, curling himself into a tight ball. Lucy wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead; the sight really was pitiful. The driver grunted to her again, tipped his hat to Lucy, and retired to his horse for a few hours of sleep. Lucy waved after him, appreciative of the help the little man had given them.

Turning back to Natsu, Lucy sighed, her weight shifted to one hip. She wouldn't be able to cart him into the guild hall by herself, let alone all the way back to his place. She'd have to try and find someone to help her if he didn't recover quickly.

"Natsu," She whispered, kicking him lightly. Natsu responded with undistinguishable sounds that reminded her of a vomiting cat. She rolled her eyes. "Natsu!" She repeated more forcefully, kneeling to inspect his face. His eyes were closed, but his eyebrows were knit together in discontent. He was annoyed, but he was awake.

"Five more minutes," he begged, waving Lucy off. He rolled away from her, turning his back so she couldn't see his face anymore. Lucy groaned in frustration. Dealing with Natsu was like dealing with a child. She gave him a slight nudge with her toe, earning an indignant snort.

"Alright, alright" She conceded, her breath coming out in a sigh. "You stay here in the middle of the street, I'm going to see if Levy's around." Natsu nodded slowly, inching away from the door so as not to block her path. Lucy rolled her eyes yet again, she found herself doing that a lot lately, quickly looked around to make sure no one would step on him, and turned to enter the guild.

.

"Lucy!"

The hall was next to empty when Lucy firmly shut the door behind her. She wasn't used to being here in the wee hours of the morning, and the lack of life was a little disconcerting, especially after the night she'd had. Mirajane was behind the counter, as always, catering to a drunken Cana. The familiarity was comforting, at least, as Lucy nodded to the two women. Mira smiled back while Cana didn't even acknowledge her presence. Lucy began to question her consciousness.

Levy was the only other person she could immediately see, and her table was scattered with books of all different shapes and sizes. Lucy was less than surprised; when Levy wasn't flanked by Jet, Droy, or Gajeel, she was lost in a stack of books. The blue-haired mage nodded to her sleepily, her eyes focussed on the page before her. Lucy laughed, realising Levy didn't register who she was nodding at.

"Hey Levy," Lucy announced, managing a weak smile. Levy's head shot up at the sound of her friend's voice, the drowsiness abandoning her like a gust of wind had blown it all away.

"I'm glad you're here," Levy began, her words coming in a rush. She seemed ignorant to the melancholy tone to Lucy's normally cheerful disposition. "I've been reading all night trying to find out more for you. I've come up with some really cool stuff you might be interested in."

"That's great," Lucy admitted, trying to be genuinely interested in the book Levy was shoving towards her. As she reached for the book, her hand hesitated, briefly wondering if she could absorb any more information tonight. Something seemed to click with Levy as she caught Lucy's hesitation. She stopped suddenly, glancing at Lucy with a quizzical look.

"Wait a minute," She blinked. "Why are you back already? And why do you look like you've seen a ghost?"

"Fernhold wasn't exactly what we were expecting," Lucy answered quietly, sitting at the table across from Levy. She signalled to Mirajane that she'd like a cup of something strong, ignoring the bewildered expression she gathered from both her and Levy.

"You never drink," Levy trailed, concern coloring her voice, "I'm almost afraid to ask, but what the hell happened?"

Lucy took a couple of gulps from her glass, taking comfort in the burn that trickled down her throat. It was true, she didn't drink often, and when she did it was usually a lightly flavored fruity drink. Hard liquor was not her thing. She swallowed, hanging her head glumly.

"It's a lot to explain," She insisted.

"We have time," Levy assured her, gesturing for Mira to join them. Lucy looked between her friends, reading the expressions on their faces. She knew both of the looks facing her now and knew there was no point to argue. She sighed, giving into the stubbornness she saw before her.

"Alright, alright," With a heaving breath, Lucy divulged all of her information to the other wizards, sparing no gory detail. The girls responded as Lucy expected they would: Levy listened with gradually widening eyes, the shock evident on her face, and Mira just stared, her features frozen in place.

"…And the weirdest part was when we asked them about the symbols, they didn't know what we were talking about." Lucy sighed finally, dropping her head to the table. It landed with a thud on a thick encyclopedia. Her breath was coming easier now than it had been yesterday. Now that she'd gotten some rest and told her friends everything she knew, she felt a bit better. A full night's sleep now would do her worlds of good.

"Wow," Mirajane breathed. Worry was etched into her delicate features. "Those poor people…"

"We stopped into the nearest town and made sure someone knew about the situation," Lucy assured her. "They told us they'd send people right away."

"That's a relief," Mirajane nodded. She closed her eyes in consideration, mulling the story over and over in her mind. Lucy could see the puzzle pieces falling into place in her brain, but was too exhausted to attempt to do the same. "What on earth could've done something like this?" She asked finally, missing crucial bits of information.

"I wish I knew," Lucy admitted. "We were supposed to get answers in Fernhold, but we just found a mountain of more questions. Better still, I have no idea what this has to do with Madison. It may be completely unrelated for all I know, and I don't know if that's better or worse." Mira nodded gravely, the thought crossing her own mind as well. "I hate to ask, I really do, but I'm hoping you can help with this, Levy," Lucy glanced over to the blue-haired girl sitting across from her, and was momentarily stunned.

Levy's face had turned to ash; her rosy cheeks now a dreary grey. Lucy sat bolt upright, reaching across the table for Levy's hand. The chilled skin that met her nearly drove her to a panic. "Oh my- Levy, are you ok?" She demanded.

Levy's eyes were downcast. Her face was dark, and yet somehow it was alive with emotion: fear, understanding, dread, shock, and many, many others Lucy couldn't begin to identify. The guild hall around them was still mostly empty, but the few stragglers turned to look at their table in alarm. Mira reached for her as well, her hand placed delicately on Levy's shoulder.

"I'm ok," Levy whispered suddenly, her voice low and scared. Lucy and Mira gave her doubting glances. "No really," She insisted, shaking herself free of her stupor. "I'm fine. I just- I think I've figured something out. I need to run back to my place and look up some things…" Levy looked to the clock on the wall above them, it was just after dawn. "Meet me back here tonight Lucy, I promise I'll explain then."

Levy suddenly jumped up from the table, knocking over several of her books. Lucy and Mira stared after her as she bolted for the front door, slamming it open and striking Natsu in the process. He yelped indignantly from his position on the ground, but Levy paid no mind as she took off towards the little cottage she shared with Gajeel.

Lucy was shocked into silence, left to sit next to Mira after Levy's outburst. She turned to the white-haired mage; their expressions mirrored one another perfectly. Lucy released a shaky breath.

"Mira, I need another drink…"

.

"_Something_ was bothering her," Lucy insisted.

"She still didn't need to be so rude," Natsu grumbled. "That _hurt_."

Lucy rolled her eyes. She and Natsu were halfway to her apartment, inching lazily along the canal that ran through town after several hard drinks on Lucy's behalf. She felt lightheaded, but it was a welcome sensation. After Levy left, Natsu had stumbled into the guild with a dismal attitude radiating from his very core. The bump he'd gotten from the guild hall's door had been enough to bring him to full consciousness, unfortunately for Lucy. She now had to listen to him complain about it all the way home.

"I'm sure she didn't mean to hurt you," Lucy groaned, her patience quickly thinning on the little sleep she had had. "It's Levy. She never means to hurt anyone."

"Could've fooled me," Natsu huffed. Lucy giggled a little, in spite of herself. After a good vent and a few drinks, she was relaxed enough to get some sleep and she couldn't wait to do just that. Her apartment building was in view now, and all at once the aftereffects of two wagon trips in one day hit her muscles like a tidal wave. Her back cramped, her legs ached, her head was pounding, and her shoulders were stiff. Not to mention she was hungry. Her stomach clenched in discomfort. Lucy groaned.

"I've never been so happy to get home," She sighed, gripping the doorknob with enthusiasm. The alcohol had served to numb the discomfort a little, but it still nagged at her. Natsu followed her up the stairs and into her room, using the doors for once. It was strange, almost, Natsu behaving like a normal human being. Lucy smiled at him.

"I'm going to go change into some pajamas," She told him, yawning. "Can you go to the fridge and see if I have anything to eat? I can make us a snack before we turn in for the day."

Natsu shrugged but nodded. He was clearly still irritated from his knock on the head. Lucy raised her eyebrows at him until he turned towards the kitchen allowing Lucy to shut the door gently behind him.

Lucy surveyed her room sleepily. She wanted nothing more than to curl up in her bed, but her hunger was gnawing at her and wouldn't allow sleep until it was addressed. So she turned to her dresser instead, looking for the softest pair of pajamas she could find.

She settled on a newer two piece: the bottom was lavender, made of soft satin, and the top was a dark grey cotton tank. She pulled the garments on over her aching limbs, relishing in the feeling of comfort the clothing brought her. She glanced down at herself then, noticing stains of dirt on her skin. She scrunched her nose, she hated being dirty. She hopped to the bathroom quickly to clean the mud from her hands and feet.

As she washed, she replayed the events of the day in her head. She had decided already not to think about it too much for the time being; if she did it would surely cause her more stress than she could afford. She would get some sleep and tackle the issue when she was refreshed. However, she couldn't stop her mind from wandering occasionally.

_Madison. Fernhold. What did it mean?_

Halfway to the point of passing out already, Lucy emerged from the bathroom and made her way to the kitchen with determination. Food and sleep. That's what she needed. She would go to the kitchen, where she expected to find Natsu chewing on uncooked food, eat something, and pass out. Plan: made.

What she found instead shocked her to her core.

Natsu was bent studiously over the counter, fiddling with an omelette that was about a minute away from being ready to eat. The omelette was in a cast iron pan; Natsu balancing it in his hand. He was circling a flame evenly around the surface of the food, touching it softly. On the counter around him were various additions to the egg masterpiece: spices, chopped vegetables, crumbled pieces of meat, all combining to create a warm, savoury smell that intoxicated her senses. Lucy's jaw dropped.

"Oh hey," Natsu mumbled, not taking his eyes off the pan in front of him. "It'll be done in a second; I can hear your stomach from here."

Annoyance bubbled in Lucy's gut, but she suppressed it with the magnitude of her shock. Natsu wasn't a chef- he wasn't anything other than Natsu. How had he managed this?

"Um…" Lucy began, stumbling over her words, "Natsu… when did you…?"

"When you were in the bathroom," Natsu answered happily, poking away at the cooking eggs. "I was hungry and you were taking forever."

Lucy shook her head. "No, I mean, when did you learn how to cook?"

Natsu turned to look at her then, cocking his head to the side. "Learn? What'd you mean? I've always known how to cook."

Lucy blinked at him. "You have?"

"Of course I have," Natsu laughed, placing two plates in front of him on the counter. Lucy reached over and grabbed some glasses for juice, placing them on the table beside the plates. "I was raised by a dragon," Natsu continued. "I know a thing or two about getting my own food. All Igneel ever wanted was raw meat." He rolled his eyes at the memory, shaking his head.

Although this came as a shock to her, Lucy couldn't help but be a little impressed. She smiled, holding out the plates for Natsu. He grinned at her, plopping two steaming meals on the dishes in her hands. She swung them to the table while Natsu plopped the pan in the sink, sweeping up the glasses with his newly freed hands and followed her to the table.

They ate in relative quiet, unusual for them, but Lucy was too enthralled by the food before her to say much. Natsu's concoction was delicious- easily the best omelette she'd ever eaten. Much better than anything she could make. Natsu may be clueless about most things, but it was clear to her that he knew his way around a kitchen. She began to consider hiring him as a cook; it would be a way for him to pay her back for coming over to her place so much, uninvited to boot. She pictured Natsu huddled over the stove in a stiff chef's hat and began to giggle.

"Well," She sighed, leaning back in her chair. Natsu copied her, having finished his meal as well. "That was amazing, you should cook more often."

He shrugged, his eyelids drooping before her. "Only if it means I get to eat your food." Lucy grinned, her own eyes growing heavy. Natsu was full of surprises. He seemed to be the perfect combination of juvenile and adult, keeping her on her toes and having her back.

"Come on," She insisted, yawning, "Let's get some sleep."

Natsu stood lazily, his limbs dragging as though they were weighed down. Lucy stretched as she stood, reaching out to grab Natsu's arm. She tugged on his wrist, eager to get some much needed shut eye. Eventually he pulled himself together, entering her bedroom behind her.

"I don't know if I'll be able to sleep on the floor tonight," He yawned, eying her bed hungrily. Lucy rolled her eyes, jerking her thumb towards the pillows.

"Yeah right Natsu," She chided, "You could sleep on a bed of rocks. Besides, you can have on of those."

Natsu winked at her, swiping a pillow from the stack she gestured to. "It was worth a shot," he shrugged, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Lucy flushed and she contemplated kicking him out, but he was already making himself comfortable on her rug.

"Go to sleep, Natsu," Lucy laughed instead, climbing into her bed with a secretive smile. She let her head fall to the pillow, briefly wondering why she _didn't _let Natsu sleep in the bed with her. It wouldn't be any different than when they napped in the wagon. She rolled over then, opening her mouth to invite him up, when the deep thunder of his snoring assaulted her ears. She blinked in surprise, swallowing the tinge of disappointment with a fond curve of her lips.

"Night Natsu," Lucy whispered, placing her hand over the edge of the bed so that it fell next to his.

.

"Alright," Levy announced to their small assembly, "First and foremost, I want to apologize for my reaction this morning."

Lucy dropped her chin into her hand, leaning on the table next to Natsu and Mirajane. The group had gathered after supper the next evening, Levy directing them to a table in the back corner of the guild. Gajeel stood next to her, leaning against a post with his arms folded.

"After Lucy told me what happened in Fernhold, I was a little… surprised." Levy explained, chewing on her lip. "I needed some time to collect myself, but I'm fine now and ready to share with you what I know."

"Well," Natsu grumbled, yawning, "Get to it already."

Lucy elbowed him.

Levy smiled. "Ok, so after everything you've told me, I can't say I know what happened to the townspeople. From what I heard, it sounded like magic was the culprit, and without seeing the symbols I can't really say what they mean."

"I expected that," Lucy sighed. "I tried my best to describe them, but it's hard when I only saw them in the rain and dark."

"I understand," Levy nodded. "But, I did manage to translate the words you saw." She pulled out a piece of paper and laid it out on the table. "La Lumiére de la Nuit. It means 'the Light of the Night' in French."

"The light of the night?" Natsu repeated. He was never one for these conferences; Natsu was a take-action kind of guy, much like Gajeel. Lucy appreciated the effort he was putting in to be attentive. "What's that?"

"I'm not sure," Levy sighed, "I'm still working on that."

"But that's something," Lucy insisted, memorizing both the translation and the original phrase. "It's a start at the very least."

"Exactly," Levy grinned. "Now comes the part that will take some time to explain. You mentioned a legendary criminal, right?"

"Yeah, Amel mentioned him in her story." Lucy confirmed.

"Well," Levy's eyes flickered downward for just a moment. Lucy caught the look, raising her eyebrow in response. Levy didn't look vexed very often, but something was off about her in this moment. "The criminal you mentioned is a man named Kale."

Mirajane dropped her glass.

Lucy jumped, staring at Mirajane in surprise. She was sitting bolt upright, a troubled shadow in her eyes. Levy met her gaze and nodded. Mira seemed to relax after this, but there was still a tense set to her shoulders that told Lucy this was going to be a serious conversation.

"Kale is a famous crime lord from just North of Fiore." Levy explained. "From the time he was young he had a hand in almost every unsavoury practise imaginable. He collected for dealers, he executed hits for many organizations, he transported, sold, and traded people for work and… other things, and eventually, once he got older, he became the head of a massive organized crime system that ran all of these operations."

"Busy guy," Natsu mused.

"Incredibly so," Levy agreed. "There's a massive list of all his crimes throughout his years of activity, but I couldn't possibly name them all now. The point is: he was the guy to go to for anything illegal."

"So what's his connection to Fernhold?" Lucy pressed.

"When Kale first rose to power, it last for a number of years. Out of nowhere he took a huge hit and was decimated to the point that he lost 90% of his employees." Levy shifted her weight from foot to foot, different areas of her body twitching at random. "He left the area, came to Fiore, and started again. He had control over a decent sized area that included about six towns. Fernhold was one of them," She paused, glancing to Gajeel who nodded. "And my hometown, Nessle, was another."

Lucy's eyes widened.

"I knew Kale personally," Levy explained, shrugging. "He would come to town once every month recruiting employees, collecting taxes, vandalizing, terrorizing the townspeople, and just generally spreading fear of him and his work. My family didn't have much, so we were targeted a fair amount."

Gajeel took a step closer to Levy, offering his hand. She took it gratefully.

"When I was about seven he came to my parents and he told them if they didn't give me to him as a payment, we would lose our home. My parents tried to refuse, but he took me anyway. Without getting into too much detail, I got away and headed back home as fast as I could. When I got there… well. My house was there, but my family wasn't. That's when I decided to join a guild, to get back at the people who did this."

Lucy's heart was aching. Levy was always so happy and positive; it was hard to believe her past was so haunted. She felt the urge to hug her friend, but resisted when she saw the look on Levy's face.

"That brings me to recent history," She took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "A few months back, Mira told me a job had been posted for Nessle. I recognized the name and took the job immediately; it was a warrant for Kale's arrest."

"It was the first job we ever took together," Gajeel grunted. "He's holed up now in the prison run by the magic council."

"Kale's disciples finally ratted him out to the right people," Levy smiled triumphantly. "I got the revenge I needed."

"That's great, Levy," Lucy smiled. "I'm so sorry to hear about everything…"

"Hey, it's all in the past." She insisted. "That's why I got to weird when you brought him up this morning. I was just… Well, I was unprepared."

"Alright, so we need to talk to this guy, obviously." Natsu interrupted, the vein pulsing in his forehead to indicate he was thinking really hard about something. "He's clearly connected to this whole thing somehow; the strangers were looking for him when the town was attacked. But there's one thing I don't understand. If Kale is this real guy who did these real things, why did Amel talk about him like he was some kind of myth?"

"Right," Levy nodded, pulling a book out of her satchel. "I forgot to mention that. Kale, as Natsu said, is very real. However, it takes a long time to build an empire like he did, even longer to build _two_."

"What're you getting at, Levy?"

"This is a copy of the birth records from the North, Kale's is on page 346."

Levy handed the book to Lucy, who flipped to the aforementioned page. She scanned it, finding Kale's name written there, as promised.

"Ok…" Lucy trailed, confusion coloring his face and voice. "I don't see what this has to do with-"

"Lucy."

Mirajane interrupted her thought, reading the birth records over Lucy's shoulder. Lucy looked at her questioningly.

"Look at the year," She instructed. Lucy obliged, tracing the full record with her finger.

"Kale Demionate, seven pounds, July second, year-" Lucy's voice caught in her throat. She shot her gaze back to Levy, who nodded solemnly.

"Kale," She said, "Is a legend because he was born over 200 years ago."

Natsu slammed his hand on the table. "What?!" He exclaimed. "How the hell is that possible?"

"I don't know," Levy shrugged. "No one does. But I guess we can add it to the list of questions we'll ask when we see him."

"Wait, what?" Lucy shook her head, clearing her mind. "What do you mean?"

"I've taken the liberty of setting up a meeting with him," Levy answered, shouldering her satchel and winking to the shocked wizards before her. "We leave tomorrow morning."

**Tadum! Ok so few quickie things at the end here:**

**If you are interested in more of Levy's backstory (my take on it anyway) I am writing a sort of prequel to this story. It's called I'll Be There, and it's a GaLe fluff one-shot right now, but I plan on expanding it to be about the arrest mission mentioned in this chapter. If you want to read that, I will hopefully be starting it soon. In the meantime, you can read/follow/favorite I'll Be There so you'll know when I update it :)**

**I have no idea if Natsu can cook or not in the show/manga. Regardless, in this fic he can because I think it makes sense.**

**And that's it for me! Leave a review if you would, they make me happy!**


	5. Chapter 5

****EDITED****

**Note: Jellal works for the Magic Council because reasons. (To elaborate: I really like Jellal's character and he's always struck me as a military type, so in this story when Jellal was arrested, he was offered a position in the Magic Council's guard to repay the kingdom for his actions.)**

"Thanks for doing this, Jellal," Lucy smiled. She, Levy, Natsu, and Gajeel formed a haphazard line behind the blue haired wizard in formal attire. Jellal had met them at the gate when they'd arrived late last night, and shown them to their accommodations. He turned his head to grin at Lucy now, tipping his head politely. Admittedly, he looked pretty good in uniform. The white, pressed suit fit him well. She let her eyes wander, just a little.

"No trouble at all," He insisted, swinging open the large wooden doors that led to the prison. The whole of the Magic Council was daunting to Lucy, but the containment area was far below the chambers of the magic council; through countless hallways and staircases. It had a different feel to the rest of the intricate building. It was… confusing, reassuringly so. Lucy couldn't help but wonder how, even if a criminal did escape his cell, he'd be able to find his way out in all this madness. "You were all very kind to me in the past; it's the least I can do."

"Have you seen much of Erza since?" Lucy asked, trying to make it sound like she was just making casual conversation when really, she was itching to know every gory detail. Jellal blushed and turned his head to face forward.

"Er, well, no more than anyone else I guess. I mean, not that I don't want to see her," He added quickly, "Just that I don't see her more than I should. I see her a perfectly normal amount."

Lucy succumbed to giggles that deepened Jellal's blush.

"We're just about there," He grunted, nodding in the direction they were headed. Lucy peered around him, observing the blue glow emanating from the door they were faced with. Excitement and nerves flooded her body at the same time, warring for a proper place in the pit of her stomach. Suddenly, she felt a pull on her arm as Levy stopped her momentarily.

"Listen Lucy," Levy whispered, her eyes darting worriedly to the doors before them. Levy had been mostly quiet on the trip over, insisting she was fine with the situation and that she would prefer to come. But now, as she was about to enter the prison, Lucy began to question her resolve. "Before we go in there I just want to warn you." She faced Lucy, holding her gaze with fierce intensity. "Kale is a sick bastard. Don't let anything he says get to you, because he will try. He's a predator, Lucy. His prey is anyone he thinks is weaker than him." Levy mentally slapped herself; she feared the urgency in her heart hadn't come out full force.

Lucy considered her words and nodded. She didn't know what to expect of Kale, but dangerous men had never intimidated her before. But this was a different kind of dangerous; all of the evil they'd faced up until this point had been large scale magical villains with plans to take over the world, something Lucy used to see only in her books. Kale was different. Kale's crimes were closer to home; they were more… _real_ in a sense. She gave Levy a confident smile.

"I'll be careful, Levy, I promise."

The blue haired mage nodded, but the unease was still evident in her eyes. Lucy reached out and took her friend in a hug. Levy stiffened, surprised, but eventually she relaxed into a smile. She returned the hug gratefully, tightly holding Lucy against her. Lucy suspected the hug was just as much for Levy as it was for Lucy.

"Come on, we'll lose them in this maze." Lucy pulled away, nodding to the door where everyone had gathered. Levy hesitated, made eye contact with Gajeel, inhaled, and took a step forward.

Kale's cell was at the back of the prison. Blue cubes closed in on them from all sides, causing Lucy to feel a touch claustrophobic. Most of the cells were empty, but the odd one contained a slumped over, half alive excuse for a human. A cube passed by on Lucy's right, coming close enough to disturb the air around her. She glanced down, assessing what looked to be a male in his late eighties. He wasn't moving except for the gentle rise and fall of his back. Lucy tore her gaze away, fighting the shudder that danced down her spine.

"Here he is, admittance number 7462: Kale Demionate."

Lucy peered around the group in front of her, trying to catch a glimpse of this fabled man. Jellal sidestepped, revealing a cube ever so slightly larger than the rest. Inside it, a man sat in the corner, his back pressed against the wall, his knees bent lazily before him. Lucy blinked in surprise; for a two hundred year old man, Kale looked as though he could be in his thirties. The man looked middle aged, at worst, with a powerful frame that Lucy could pick out even though he was curled.

Jellal knocked on the cube, the rapping echoing through the room. Kale lifted his head slowly, like he was annoyed at being disturbed. His face was striking, Lucy noticed. His eyes were so pale a blue they almost looked white, with large, dark pupils. They creased in the corners as he took in the party before him. His wide mouth pulled into a smirk, the movement smooth and fluid, like a well-oiled machine.

His dark hair was cropped close to the scalp around his head, with a thick sweep of hair flowing from the top of his head. His bangs swept across his forehead, just touching the tops of his eyebrows. Speckles of gray were scattered throughout, giving him a mature air. Lucy studied him closely.

"Well," He drawled, his voice warm and tangy. His striking eyes zeroed in on Levy then, tucked halfway behind Gajeel's massive body. His pupils sparked, "Hello, strumpet."

Gajeel made a low sound in his chest that Lucy interpreted as a warning. The look on Levy's face was clear discomfort. Her small hand was twisted in Gajeel's shirt, attaching her to him. Lucy watched her closely.

"Hello Kale," She whispered, her voice quiet but steady. Kale's smile stretched a bit wider. He rolled his shoulders, shifting his weight to the side. Levy never took her eyes off of him, controlling her every move. Only her hand, tucked behind Gajeel's back and not visible to Kale, betrayed her shaking.

"Now, what do I owe this visit?" Kale laced his fingers together atop his knees, his knuckles cracking audibly through his confinement. Levy inhaled, steadying herself.

"We have some questions for you," Levy instructed. "We need you to answer them."

Kale whistled, low and long. Levy held her stance, waiting patiently for him to speak. Lucy's breath caught.

"Well now darlin'," He droned. His voice, Lucy noted, should have had a pleasant quality to it, but the way he held himself and the way his mouth greased the words on their way out dampened the honey-sweet tone. "Can't get nothin' in this world for free."

"What do you want?" Levy didn't hesitate with her reply. Lucy suspected she had anticipated this bargain.

Kale chuckled, a low rumble from the depths of his gut. "Straight to the point I see. Well, it's simple, poppet. A question for a question. I ask, you ask, we both leave this conversation happy. What'd you say?"

Levy nodded sharply. Kale revealed his teeth.

"Have you ever heard of the Light of the Night?" Levy asked.

"Yes'm," Kale nodded. His grin turned a tainted form of seductive. "Now tell me, does the carpet still match the drapes, my sultry little bluebell?"

Gajeel took a hard step forward, his fists clenching at his waist. Levy remained steady, her mouth firmly shut. Lucy opened and closed her mouth a few times, working her jaw. Gajeel's face had shifted from intimidating caution to pure, unfiltered murderous intent. Jellal struck the cube sharply with his sword, eliciting an amused cackle from Kale.

"Yes," Lucy answered suddenly, stepping in front of her friend. Levy looked at her in alarm, reaching to place her hand on Lucy's shoulder.

"What are you doing?" She whispered harshly.

"I dragged you into this," Lucy insisted. "I'll ask the questions. You've done your part Levy, and I really appreciate it," She smiled. "Now it's my turn."

Levy opened her mouth to retaliate, but Gajeel yanked her back and nodded in gratitude (in his own way, anyway) at Lucy. She nodded, set her jaw, and turned back to Kale. "You'll ask me the questions," She said.

Kale quirked his lips in amusement. "This isn't exactly what I bargained for," He mused, assessing Lucy from head to toe. She waited patiently, ignoring the creeping, skin-crawling sensation he caused with his gaze. "But you'll do. Ask away, lemon pop."

"What is it?" Lucy voiced, "What is the Light of the Night?"

Kale laughed. "That's a huge question, love. But I'll do my best, for you." He winked, "They're not a what, they're a who, first off. A pair of twin sister wizards."

"Wizards?" Lucy repeated.

"Yes'm. Good ones, at that. La Lumiére de la Nuit is their… 'stage name', you could say."

"What are their real names?"

Kale held up a slender finger. "Not yet Lemon, one question for one question," He pursed his lips in thought. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

"Lucy," She answered quickly. "Lucy Heartfilia."

Kale's eyes flared for just a moment, but he didn't say anything about it. Instead he closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the wall behind him. "Epense and Umbara,"

"That's their names?"

"Yes'm," He began to tilt his head back and forth, like he was listening to music where there was none to be heard. Lucy tucked the information away, knowing full well that Levy was scribbling everything down behind her. "Are you a wizard, Lucy?"

"Yes," She nodded. "Have you ever heard of Fernhold?"

"Yes. Do you prefer the morning or the night?"

"Night. What's the significance of Fernhold to the twins?"

"Because I used to live there, I suppose. Chocolate or vanilla?"

"Chocolate. What do they want with you?"

Kale paused in the stream of question and answer. The corners of his mouth pulled up, giving him the appearance of a hunting shark. "Why, to kill me, of course."

Lucy blinked. She was so busy processing the answer that she almost missed the next question.

"Are you a virgin?"

Lucy nodded, "Yes." She could tell the others around her were becoming uncomfortable, but Lucy was determined. They were finally making headway with the investigation, and she wasn't about to let some personal questions stand in her way. Jellal tilted his head in her direction, asking silently if she wanted him to intervene. She shook her head. "Why?"

Kale chuckled in that eerie tone of his. "This is a loaded question," He warned. "I'll have to ask one of equal weight of my own. Would you like to change your mind?" Lucy shook her head. "Very well, Lucy Heartfilia, there are a lot of reasons these girls want to kill me. I destroyed them, Lemon, I ruined their lives. I took from them the very life they fought for; I squashed the freedom they longed to achieve. I stole them, twisted them, and made them mine."

The group stood still, the echoing of Kale's voice was the only sound to be heard.

"I own them," He breathed, fire lighting his strange eyes. "My biggest regret is letting them slip through my fingers. You see, Lemon, I was their-"

A loud, resounding crash cut him off.

The walls of the prison shook, small pieces of rubble trickling to the ground. The explosion had come from somewhere behind them, outside the prison, in the magic council building. Jellal gripped the sword at his waist, bracing his knees against the shaking.

"What the hell was that?" He demanded, whipping his head wildly around. Lucy had stumbled ever so slightly, falling into Gajeel. Levy had stumbled as well, catching herself on a nearby cell. Natsu looked slightly nauseous, but nothing compared to his normal motion sickness.

"Honey, I'm home," Kale sung, chuckling.

Jellal pressed his hand against the cell, slamming his sword against the side with a resounding bang. "Do you know something about this?" Kale just blinked.

"I have to go," Jellal growled, spitting on the cell. Kale waved. "I don't have time for you. Come on," He waved to the Fairy Tail wizards.

"Wait."

Lucy turned on her heel; Kale's head was up, making direct eye contact with her. She paused, her breath coming in measures.

"I still get one more question," He smirked.

"You didn't really answer mine," Lucy insisted, her stomach twisting into a knot. Kale nodded his head in conceit.

"You're right," He admitted. "But you still got to ask."

"Lucy," Levy's voice was urgent. "Let's just go; forget this."

Lucy chewed her lip. "It won't hurt to just… let him ask," She insisted. Kale's voice was low when he spoke again, sending a chill through her. She feared that if she denied him now, she would somehow mark herself in his mind. If she complied, then hopefully in time he would forget about the little blonde wizard from Fairy Tail. She swallowed, and waited.

"What do you think you're worth?"

Lucy's stomach clenched. She didn't understand the question, but her gut told her it wasn't something she wanted to answer. Regardless, she couldn't stop her curiosity.

"What do you mean?" She whispered.

Kale stood then, the full magnitude of his height pressing in on her. He appeared larger when he was standing, more intimidating. Lucy's knees began to shake.

"Well then," He sneered, his relaxed demeanor changing entirely to reveal the monster within the man. Lucy felt the fear he exuded even through the magical barrier between them. "Let me clarify: how much do you think your blonde, virgin cunt would get me on the black market?"

Lucy balked, her face draining of color. Natsu's hand was on her arm, firmly, pulling her towards the door.

"Lucy, let's go," He whispered through gritted teeth. His body was tense, like Gajeel's had been, and Lucy could see the restraint in his muscles. She took an involuntarily step backwards.

"I'M NOT DONE!" Kale slammed his fists against the side of his cube, causing the glass-like wall to quiver beneath the blow. Lucy stumbled, caught herself, and froze. Kale was shaking, his brow furrowed in manic concentration. "What do you think I could get if I promised my customers you'd scream for them? Do you think I'd get $100? $1000? More? For more, I think I'd need to offer more," He spat, spittle erupting from his lips. "I'd need to know you could beg, you could bleed, you could _cry_. I would want to guarantee that when whatever sick bastard, and I'd make sure he was _sick_, snaps you up, he can tie you to a post, beat in your pretty little face-"

"Stop,"

"-part your legs and laugh as you screech and beg for him to stop, to spare you, to kill you, to do anything but the HORROR you're about to go through-"

"Stop it."

"-and I want to tell him he can fucking watch the light leave your eyes as he takes from you your very _soul-"_

"SHUT UP!"

There was a brilliant flash of fire as Natsu's fists collided with the cage where Kale's face had been hovering just moments before. The cell shook violently, scorch marks appearing where Natsu struck. Lucy was stunned into silence, her eyes never wavering from the silent war before her.

Kale's chest was heaving, his breath coming in elated bursts. Natsu was breathing just as hard, each exhale loaded with rage and fire. The two men were locked in a battle that she couldn't possibly understand. Natsu's eyes had darkened, holding Kale rigidly with his stare. The room had fallen deathly silent, the absence of noise pressing in on Lucy's ears louder than anything she'd ever heard.

Kale made the first move, much to her surprise. The man's shoulders began to shake, rocking with the ferocity of the laughter erupting from his gut. Natsu was steady, unflinching. He watched while Kale laughed, waited with a fierce intensity Lucy had never seen on him before. It was unsettling.

"I'll kill you," Natsu whispered suddenly. Kale's laughter stopped as though someone had struck the pause button on him. He straightened his back, staring at Natsu squarely. Lucy found herself unable to breathe.

"What was that, little man?" His voice reminded her of a snake, slithering sneakily through the grass towards an unsuspecting victim. "I don't believe I heard that right."

"If you _ever_ come near Lucy," Natsu continued, his words dripping with danger, "I will kill you."

Kale didn't laugh. Instead he began to whistle, a tuneless sound meant to taunt and irritate. The vein in Natsu's forehead pulsed.

"Natsu!"

Jellal was ushering Levy and Gajeel out of the holding room, gesturing for Natsu and Lucy to follow. The others had gone on ahead, rushing towards the source of the explosion, but Natsu hesitated. He never tore his eyes away from the sick bastard before him.

There were a tense few moments where Lucy questioned if Natsu would leave, or stay and challenge Kale to a fight. It wouldn't surprise her to find Natsu had planned this from the moment Kale opened his mouth; the man was infuriating. Lucy bit her lip, watching and waiting…the tension was palpable.

Jellal was now practically begging them to follow him, shifting his weight from foot to foot impatiently. Lucy pulled herself together, reaching her small hand towards Natsu's large one. She brushed the inside of his palm as it lay at his side; it twitched towards her.

"Natsu," She whispered, pleading in her voice.

Natsu winced but, albeit reluctantly, pulled himself free of the faceoff with Kale and reached for Lucy's outstretched hand. Kale's whistle deepened, the corner of his mouth pulling up into a grim smirk. Natsu's glare could put Erza to shame as, never taking his eyes off of Kale, he wrapped his arm securely around Lucy. Kale watched with hungered eyes as Natsu turned her away from the demon before them.

Lucy counted their footsteps as they made their way to the door, the rhythmic slap of their feet on the floor serving as an introduction for Kale's whistling. He had just struck up an eerily transformed rendition of a child's lullaby when they reached Jellal, the door swinging closed behind them.

.

Lucy threw her focus into the movement of her legs. They felt numb, icy, and unreliable, but for now they were supporting her and that was the important part. Natsu ran beside her, his breathing labored and shallow. Whether this was the physical exertion or Kale, she didn't know.

Lucy didn't have time to dwell on the events that had transpired in the prison, but she couldn't stop her thoughts from drifting. Levy had been right; Kale knew how to get under a person's skin. Lucy had felt the full force of that in the worst way possible. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts so she could be of use now.

Jellal rounded a sharp corner, his cape billowing behind him. Lucy felt a tug on her elbow as Natsu steered her away from colliding with the wall. Maybe she wasn't as balanced as she had originally thought.

Natsu.

Lucy had seen Natsu angry many, many times before, but this time had been different. Any trace of the friend she had had vanished the moment his fist struck the cell. She had found herself feeling… _scared. _Not scared of him, exactly, she knew that Natsu would never hurt her, and yet he'd struck fear in her. Natsu, the lovable idiot, had been genuinely intimidating; not in power, but in pure fury.

She glanced sideways at him. He had calmed considerably, but the ghosts of his anger remained, darkening his eyes and giving his steps a determined air.

As they got closer to the explosion, moving became a detestable chore. People were milling about wildly, crashing into each other and exchanging unnecessarily loud, heated words. Ahead of them Jellal pushed through the crowd, trying desperately to get to the source of the ruckus.

"You should leave," He yelled to Levy, Gajeel, Lucy, and Natsu. "This is official Magic Council business, if you get caught up in it you may never get out." They knew, Lucy thought, they knew all too well.

"We're staying," Levy insisted, increasing her pace. Lucy nodded slightly, focused on keeping herself running in a straight line. Jellal bit the inside of his cheek; something in Levy's voice must have resounded within him, as he chose not to argue and instead increased his pace.

They turned one last corner and nearly collided with a wall of smoke. Jellal brought up solid, stumbling as the rest of the wizards crashed into him, creating an unfortunate domino effect. Lucy barely had time to register what was going on before she was thrown into the fray of smoke and voices.

The others began to cough, feeling their way through the swirling grey mass. Lucy tried to follow using what little vision she had left, but soon she couldn't see anything at all, the cloud of ashy fog clogging the hall and swallowing her surroundings.

"Natsu?" She called, coughing. "Gajeel? Levy?"

"Over here!"

"This way!"

"Lucy?"

Three different voices came at her from different directions, disorienting her. She whirled, waving her arms wildly in an attempt to clear the air. Her wrist crashed into the wall, earning a shriek of pain from her.

"Are you ok?"

"What happened?"

"Lucy?"

She hadn't heard the sound of bone cracking, so she was fairly certain she hadn't broken anything. Still, she cradled her wrist, sputtering in her pain and annoyance. "I'm fine!" She coughed, waving her good hand in front of her face. "I just can't see! Where is everyone?"

"By the door!"

"In the hall!"

"Lucy?!"

"Behind you."

Lucy jumped at the unexpected fourth voice, small and gentle near her ear. She lunged forward, her body bouncing off the ground with an audible smack. Her wrist, and now her whole body, ached. Muttering, she used her elbow to push herself off the ground, her ear still tingling from the caress of breath that had been there just a moment before, and rolled to see the source of her fright.

A ghostly faced peered at her through the smoke.

Her stomach dropped. She screamed, instinctively, scrambling backwards as far as she could with her bum wrist. She was trying to remember something she'd read on how to repel a ghost- it took her only a moment to realise that, although the face was hollow, it was indeed human and she was being foolish.

Lucy squinted at the figure above her. Her hair was stringy and black, hanging in tangled tendrils beside her gaunt cheeks. Every bone in her face stood in sharp contrast, her pale, brittle skin stretched dangerously thin over her pointed features.

Lucy shuffled backwards further, her heart pumping painfully in her chest. The woman advanced on her momentarily, blinking her large, black eyes, before another explosion wracked the building.

Screams filled the halls, the panic doubled along with the chaos. People began to run blindly through the cloud of smoke, nearly trampling Lucy in the process. She threw herself towards the wall for safety, huddling her body against the cold, crumbling plaster. She'd lost sight of the woman; and somehow Lucy knew, without really knowing, that she was gone.

"Lucy!"

A small, light body fell on top of Lucy, tripping into the wall behind her. Levy tumbled free of the smoke barrier, coughing and struggling to right herself. Lucy attempted to help, guiding her into a seated position.

"Finally," She choked, clearing her lungs of the oppressive air. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Lucy insisted, scanning the thinning smoke. "Where's everyone else?"

"I lost them in the second explosion," Levy mourned, scanning now as Lucy was. "Have you seen them?"

"No," Lucy put a hand on the wall for support. The panicking people had mostly cleared now, and she could make out where she was. She pulled herself upright, Levy after her, and began to search the rubble for their friends.

The hall had been destroyed- plaster stripped from the walls, chunks of ceiling scattered over the floor, doorways collapsed, sunlight piercing the gaping holes in the walls around them. As the dust settled, the extent of the damage was awe worthy.

"Lucy!"

Natsu emerged from the debris, coughing and wiping soot from his clothes. Lucy felt relief flood her; he seemed annoyed, but unharmed. Waving him over, she struggled to free herself from the cluttered floor. He met them in the middle of the hall, clearing a space on the floor for them to stand.

"Gajeel!" Levy caught sight of the man, hunched over behind a piece of fallen ceiling. He shouldered it away from him, shaking his body free of shreds of building. He saw Levy before she reached him, sweeping her up in a relieved embrace.

"What the hell happened?" He demanded, looking to Natsu and Lucy for answers. They shrugged in unison; no one in their immediate vicinity seemed to know. Gajeel grit his teeth, irritation written clearly across his features.

"Where's Jellal?" Natsu demanded suddenly, spinning in place. Lucy felt fear rise in her throat again, growing out of control, until a familiar voice met her ears from behind them.

"I'm fine," Jellal announced, supporting an injured man on his shoulder. He was struggling under the weight of his patient, but other than that he did indeed look fine. The man looked to be a janitor of some kind, but his leg hung limply beneath him as Jellal carried him towards the group. "And I'd like to know what the hell happened myself."

"Fernandez!"

Jellal turned as quickly as he could to see a commanding officer sprinting towards him. Lucy didn't recognize him, but all the magic council men looked the same to her anyhow. This one wore the same uniform as Jellal, white on white on white with a dash of blue thrown in for good measure. Whoever he was, the man's face made it clear this was not a happy visit.

"Sir!" Jellal greeted, indicating he would salute but his hands were otherwise occupied. The officer nodded, dismissing him. "As far as I can tell there've been no casualties. I haven't done an extensive search though, sir. The blast appears to have been centralized here, but again I haven't-"

The officer held up a gloved hand to silence him. Jellal's mouth snapped shut obediently. The reaction rubbed Lucy the wrong way; she'd never been comfortable with the amount of control commanding officers had over their subordinates.

"The criminal, Fernandez," The officer grunted, a bead of sweat inching down his red face. Lucy watched as his expression went from desperate, to angry, to grim in the span of three seconds. It was not a promising thing to watch. "The one you were visiting. His name?"

"Demionate, sir," Jellal answered quickly, resisting the urge to prod. The look in his eyes told Lucy he had many questions that he was, difficultly, biting back. She looked from Jellal to the officer and back again. Neither man appeared comfortable.

"He's gone, Fernandez." The officer announced then, dread coloring his gruff voice. He threw his arm towards the crumbling walls around them, an all-encompassing, exasperated gesture. "The wall was blown out in the west and he made a run for it. He's out, Fernandez," He said gravely, "He's free."

There was a hauntingly loud thud as Levy's shocked body crumpled to the floor.

**Alright so there's the introduction for two of my villains :) let me know what you think, I'm quite proud of them! Reviews are appreciated!**


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